ALAFCO orders 12 Airbus A350-800

ALAFCO, the Kuwait-based international aircraft leasing company, has confirmed it is to acquire 12 Airbus A350s with options on a further six. 

Deliveries of ALAFCO’s A350-800s are due to begin in the third quarter of 2012.

“In acquiring the new Airbus A350, we are investing in emerging technologies that will set the character of the industry’s future,” says ALAFCO Chairman and CEO Ahmed Alzabin. “Our studies show that the A350, which will carry the Airbus hallmarks of cabin comfort and economy into a new decade, is the right aircraft for many of our customers in the Middle East and around the world.”

ALAFCO has a diversified portfolio of commercial aircraft that includes the A320 and A300/A310 Families. Its main shareholder is Kuwait Finance House.

“Sustained growth in Middle East traffic plus a commitment to the long-term mean that ALAFCO is well placed to profit from increasing demand for our new Airbus A350,” says Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer Noël Forgeard. “And in featuring technologies and techniques that we pioneered on the Airbus A380, the A350 benefits from an impeccable pedigree.”

Airbus’ new A350 comes in two versions – the A350-800 selected by ALAFCO, which can fly 253 passengers up to 8,800 nm/16,300 km, and the larger A350-900, which can seat 300 passengers on ranges of up 7,500 nm/13,900 km.

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